SanMar joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) in 2017 with the goal of assessing and minimizing environmental impact in our supply chain. The SAC is the apparel, footwear and textile industry’s leading alliance for sustainable production. Its vision is to bring about an industry that produces no unnecessary environmental harm and has a positive impact on the people and communities associated with its activities. This aligns with our own SanMar Family Values and our commitment to making a difference and doing the right thing.

A key component of the SAC is the Higg Index, a set of standardized supply chain measurement tools that enable brands, retailers and facilities to accurately measure their sustainability performance. The Higg Index delivers a holistic overview that empowers businesses to make meaningful improvements that protect the well-being of factory workers, local communities and the environment. The Higg Index also helps drive transparency by creating clear, comparable and meaningful sustainability scores with a goal to allow members to share scores publicly after 2020.

SanMar is currently using these tools to assess our facilities with the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM). In 2018 a portion of our cut and sew facilities completed the module and we will use those results to identify opportunities to engage with our suppliers to improve sustainability performance. In the coming years, we will continue to grow the share of facilities that complete Higg FEM, as well as expand its use to our fabric mills. We will also assess our own performance by participating in the Higg Brand and Retail Module pilot in 2018.

We’re proud to join over 200 global members representing brands, retailers, manufacturers and more to address the challenges together and make a lasting impact on the apparel supply chain. For more information on the SAC and the Higg Index visit apparelcoalition.org.